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-Hi, my name's Dr. Dan.
Welcome to another voice essentials quick tip.
Learning to sing is an exciting journey
of self discovery and artistic expression.
Learning to sing is also a lifelong pursuit,
so vocal practice is something we singers
need to be doing throughout our lives.
The fact is, no singer has ever arrived
at their final destination.
This all being said, I know you're just
as keen as I am to get the most out of you vocal practice.
I don't want to be blowing practice notes just
to pass time, and neither do you.
This video will provide you with some practical tips designed
to help you maximize your valuable time and effort when
developing your voice.
If you want to make the most out of your practice time,
I recommend approaching each vocal workout as an opportunity
to develop your techniques.
By this I mean, don't simply go straight to the fun stuff.
That is, singing songs.
Remember, if you always do what you've always done,
you'll always get what you've always got.
Use your technical exercises to challenge the voice.
The activities on my vocal workout CD,
Dr. Dan's Voice Essentials, will do the trick.
If you organize the technical portion of your vocal practice
well-- starting low and easy, and working through
to harder and higher notes-- the technical portion
of your practice will simultaneously warm and tone
your voice.
This way you'll get to the fun stuff vocally prepared.
It's a win-win.
I recommend that beginner and intermediate start
by practicing every second day.
The important thing to remember is
that the moving parts of your voice are mostly muscle.
Muscles fatigue and need periods of rest.
The heightened activity of singing
is a muscular workout like no other, so don't overdo it.
This being said, don't allow four days
to go by without hitting the vocal gym.
Muscle tone starts to decline after 96 hours,
and this is when you have ground to regain when you come back
to your practice next time.
If you're a professional vocalist,
I recommend five days of vocal workout a week, but make sure
you have at least two days off in seven.
The professional voice requires rest just
like the amateur voice.
If you're just starting to develop a vocal workout regime,
I recommend commencing with about 20 minutes
every second day.
After two weeks of regular practice
increase the workout by five minutes,
and do so every two weeks until you're
practicing for between 50 minutes to an hour.
Of course, this will be governed by your vocal condition
and health.
There are going to be days when vocal practice is not
advisable, so if your voice is sore
due to infection or overuse, then vocal rest
is the best prescription.
Perhaps the best time to practice
is light afternoon before you've had your evening meal.
Of course, this is in an ideal world, so look at your diary
and schedule your practice so that it gets done.
There is one rule that should not be broken however.
As tempting as it may be, don't practice in your car.
Your motor vehicle can be a great place
to listen to new songs embedding them into working memory,
but it is the last place that you should give voice
to those songs.
Sorry, the car is simply to loud an environment
to make it a safe place for singing.
Not to mention that your body is all out of alignment
when you're seated in a car.
All things being equal, your practice time
should consist of 50% technique; 50% repertoire.
A good all around vocal workout should cover every aspect
required for singing.
I often say to my students that many
of the vocal tasks that I will set them
are more than achievable for the average voice.
But what many students find the most difficult
is the discipline required for regular practice.
Having literally taught thousands of singers,
it's been my observation that every student who
has been able to master the discipline of vocal practice,
regardless of whether they are naturally talented or not,
advance and develop in their vocal skill.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but these same singers also
seem to enjoy their singing much more because their songs are
performed with greater ease and vocal ability.
As the old saying goes, the harder you practice the luckier
you get.
So the moral to this story is, stop watching YouTube videos
and go start your next vocal practice.
For other helpful singing tips, check out my YouTube channel
and subscribe.
I'd also love you to join my free email list.
Simply go to djarts.com.au and sign up on the homepage.
I wish you all the best as you continue
to develop your voice with regular practice.